| Military Academies Day
Irving
High School will host Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and
representatives from all the major military academies on Saturday,
October 20 as the school holds its fifth annual Military Services
Academy Day.
The
event will be held in the school’s auditorium from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. Congresswoman Johnson will
speak to students and recruiting representatives will be on hand from
the Air Force Academy, Military Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard
Academy, and Merchant Marine Academy.
Academy
Days are designed to introduce students to scholarship and educational
opportunities offered by our nation’s service academies.
“Military
academies offer an educational opportunity equal to none other in the
world,” Congresswoman Johnson said. “It’s important that all of
our young people understand the possibilities this type of education can
expose them to.”
Appointees
to each academy will receive an education that the Department of Defense
estimates to be worth $250,000.
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IHS Alum Proves Hero
The
events of September 11 have given America new perspective and new
heroes. One of those heroes is Irving High School graduate Cean
Whitmarsh.
Whitmarsh
is a Navy petty officer. He was in the B-Ring – the second innermost
layer of the Pentagon – when the hijacked plane struck the E-Ring.
Instinctively, Whitmarsh ran toward the action and found a gaping hole
where offices once stood. He and several others started pulling victims
to safety.
“There
was a lieutenant,” Whitmarsh told The
Dallas Morning News. “I didn’t catch his name. And he came out
and he was on fire, and I took my shirt off and put him out.”
Whitmarsh continued the
gruesome work for hours. He is credited with saving as many as a dozen
lives that day.
Nine
days after the attack, Whitmarsh was a guest of the commander in chief.
He sat in the House gallery on Capitol Hill during the president’s
address to the nation. Whitmarsh
and his family were also honored by members of the Irving City Council
last month.
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Caring Continued...
(A
report on the efforts of Irving ISD students and staff to help the
victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.)
-
Nimitz
High School Student Council organized a fund drive and raised $837
for disaster relief in New York. The money was sent to the McCormick
Tribune Fund which will match the donation 50 cents on the dollar
for a toal of $1,255.50.
-
Austin
Middle School’s fund drive netted a grand total of $686.68. With
matching funds, that brings Austin's contribution to $1,373.36.
-
Johnston
students, staff, parents and friends contributed $566 for the
American Red Cross disaster relief fund.
-
Brandenburg
Elementary School students wrote letters to New York fire fighters
and police this week to encourage them and thank them for their
service. The letters were addressed to “The Heroes.”
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Red Ribbon Week
Irving
ISD schools are celebrating Red Ribbon Week, October 20 – 28, as part
of a national campaign to encourage students to live healthy, drug-free
and violence-free lifestyles.
The
event honors Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement
Administration special agent who was killed by drug traffickers
in 1985. Congress proclaimed the first Red Ribbon Week in 1988.
Irving schools will observe the
week with assemblies, fundraisers, themed days, decorations and plenty
of red ribbon.
For more information about Red Ribbon
Week and how to celebrate it, visit www.redribboncoalition.org
or www.drugfreetexas.com
.
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Irving High Senior Featured on Fox 4
Irving
High School senior Josiah Vinson was featured on Mike Doocy’s Inside
High School Football last weekend on local television channel Fox 4.
Vinson,
an offensive lineman, was interviewed at practice and at a studio for
the story. His father, Dr. David Vinson, was an offensive lineman for
Notre Dame and played on the national championship team in 1977.
"When
I raised Josiah, we didn't go to football games. We didn't watch
football on TV. We didn't talk about football. When he, on his own,
expressed an interest in football after his eighth grade year, then we
were willing to consider if it could be somthing that could benefit him,
just as it had benefited me," Dr. Vinson said.
The
report praised Vinson for his performance on the field. But Vinson has
also performed well in the classroom. In September, he was named a
National Merit Semifinalist.
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MacArthur Drama Teacher Nominated for
Awards
MacArthur
High School Drama Teacher Bruce Coleman has been nominated for two
awards from the Dallas Theater League. The Leon Rabin Awards are given
every year for excellence in theater. Coleman was nominated for Best
Costume Design and Best Scenic Design, both for his work in “Sunday in
the Park with George,” a play produced by the Plano Repertory Theatre.
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Austin Goes Colonial
Students
at Austin Middle School are living out their history lessons by putting
themselves in colonists’ shoes. First, students were taxed for
photocopies. When they expressed frustration at taxation without
representation, teachers revealed that the tax wasn’t real and
launched lessons about the American Revolution.
Students
used plumed pens to write letters to imaginary friends in England, and
read historical novels about the era. Students in Mrs. Leadabrand’s
class even experienced colonial cuisine. They made butter, drank spiced
cider, and ate homemade bread.
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Week Without Violence
The
National Week Without Violence had a strong following at Gilbert
Elementary School last week. On Monday, students and parents were
challenged to turn off violent TV shows. On Tuesday, students drew a
picture of their impression of a world without violence. On Wednesday
and Friday, Sylvia Orozco-Joseph from the Dallas Mental Health
Association, spoke to students and parents about controlling anger and
violence. And on Thursday, male teachers and administrators visited
fourth and fifth grade classrooms to discuss how they walk away from
fights and practice non-violence.
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